President-elect Donald Trump has remained silent so far on H-1B visas as the dispute within his Make America Great Again (MAGA) coalition over the skilled foreign worker program escalates.
Newsweek has reached out to Trump’s transition team via email for comment late Saturday morning.
Why It Matters
Trump has yet to take a firm position on H-1B visas and legal immigration more generally. An affirmative answer from the MAGA base’s leader could potentially quell the online civil war that has erupted between those in business who believe skilled legal migration boosts the U.S. economy and those of his supporters who think it takes place at the expense of American workers.
What To Know
The feud over the H-1B visa program started this week after conservative activist Laura Loomer criticized Trump’s appointment of Indian-born entrepreneur Sriram Krishnan as his senior policy adviser on artificial intelligence (AI). Loomer noted Krishnan’s previous support for making it easier for skilled foreigners to work in the U.S., which Loomer claimed on X, formerly Twitter, was “in direct opposition” to the Trump agenda.
Tech billionaire Elon Musk, a close Trump ally, has defended foreign-born workers as essential for meeting the needs of U.S. companies, citing a dearth of homegrown talent.
Musk is a South Africa-born naturalized U.S. citizen. At one point, the tech tycoon held an H-1B visa and his companies Tesla and SpaceX employ H-1B visa workers.
Biotech entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy, who alongside Musk is set to head the proposed Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), echoed Musk’s sentiments, writing on X on Thursday, “Our American culture has venerated mediocrity over excellence for way too long.”
On Friday night, Musk said he would “go to war” to defend H-1B visas, which raised some eyebrows on social media.
Meanwhile, Trump suggested during an interview on the All-In podcast in June that international students graduating from American universities should be given green cards.
“If you graduate or you get a doctorate degree from a college, you should be able to stay in this country,” he said.
President-elect Donald Trump is seen on December 22 in Phoenix. Trump has remained silent so far on H-1B visas as the dispute within his Make America Great Again (MAGA) coalition over the skilled foreign worker program escalates.
Rebecca Noble/Getty Images
What People Are Saying
Loomer on Thursday via X: “President Trump’s most loyal fighters with the biggest audiences in MAGA are all anti-Big Tech and we are nauseated with Big Tech bros who think we are peasants and dumb. The Big Tech sleepovers & fake love fest at Mar-a-Lago will be over soon you guys. Just hold the line.”
Musk on Friday via X: “The reason I’m in America along with so many critical people who built SpaceX, Tesla and hundreds of other companies that made America strong is because of H1B. Take a big step back and F*** YOURSELF in the face. I will go to war on this issue the likes of which you cannot possibly comprehend.”
Steve Bannon, a MAGA media personality and Trump’s former White House chief strategist, replied to Musk’s war threat on Saturday via Gettr, “Someone please notify ‘Child Protective Services’— need to do a ‘wellness check’ on this toddler.”
Ramaswamy on Friday posted on X: “I’ve said it countless times in the last 2 years & will say it again: the H-1B system is badly broken & should be replaced with one that focuses on selecting the very best of the best (not a lottery), pro-competitive (no indentured service to one company), and de-bureaucratized.”
Tech entrepreneur David Sacks on Wednesday posted on X: “Sriram [Krishnan] has been a U.S. citizen for a decade. He’s not ‘running America.’ He’s advising on A.I. policy. He will have no influence over U.S. immigration policy. These attacks have become crude, and not in the holiday spirit. I’m signing off now. Have a merry Christmas.”
What Happens Next
Trump’s plans to crack down on illegal immigration have broad support among his base. The president-elect, meanwhile, will have to walk a tightrope on legal immigration following his inauguration on January 20 if he is to avoid alienating a powerful section of his supporters.
